Day 44 – Across the Alleghenies Part 2

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Day 44 of a Year Long Road Trip Along America’s Scenic Byways

I started out the day in the Alleghenies at Pine Creek Gorge, also known as the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania.  The gorge, located in the Tioga State Forest, is nearly one mile across and 800 feet deep.  Unfortunately, I arrived a week too late to enjoy the fall foliage of the surrounding tree covered hills.  I thought I would make it in time, as when I used to show at the horse finals in Harrisburg during the 3^rd week of October, the trees were always glorious. 

Oh well, I suspect a dry summer and heavy recent storms were too devastating this year. Regardless, the dogs and I took a half mile stroll along the easy trail instead of venturing down to the bottom of the gorge.  After our walk, we headed to our next destination in the Alleghenies, the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum.

Pennsylvania Lumber Museum

I figured I probably wouldn’t end up at a Lumber Museum again in my lifetime, so it would be something different to check out.  With only a few indoor exhibits, the museum featured many outdoor displays on its 10-acre campus, including a re-created 20th-century lumber camp.

The logging village includes an engine house, loader shed, locomotive and log cars, a horse barn, a filer’s shack, a blacksmith shop, a laundry shed, a bunk house with a mess hall and kitchen, and a sawmill.

Shay Locomotive

The locomotive is a Shay which was very popular as its design enabled the train to maneuver around sharp turns and climb steep grades.  At 70 tons, with its vertical cylinders and flexible drive shaft, the engine had the power to pull approximately 22 log cars.

Log Loader

As opposed to loading log cars by hand which was slow and tedious, bigger operations such as this re-created village, employed steam-powered log loaders.  The log loader used a rotating cab, a stationary boom, and tongs hooked to the end of a pulley and cable system to lift and swing the logs onto the flat train car.

Sawmill

The circular saw, steam powered mills ranged in size from small to large.  They took anywhere from 2 to 3 men up to hundreds to operate.  The mill at the museum was of medium size and could produce 12 to 15 thousand board feet of lumber daily.  Logs were moved from the pond to the log deck, “dogged” to the carriage, sawed by the circular head saw, and then trimmed on the edger and tail saw before being stored.

C.C.C. Cabin

In addition to the logging village, the museum featured a C.C.C. cabin.  In 1933, President Roosevelt created the Civilian Conservation Corps to help alleviate unemployment caused by the great depression.  From 1933-1942, young men were hired to plant trees, to construct forest roads and trails, and to improve the nation’s natural resources.  Ten C.C.C. camps were established in the Pennsylvania area.  One cabin was relocated to the museum site in order to preserve a part of history.

The museum also had a mile long nature trail that I didn’t walk, but I saw a geocaching sign posted in the visitor’s center advertising an event to promote both geocaching and use of the sustainable forestry.

Kinzua Bridge State Park

From the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum, Scout, Petey, and I continued across the Alleghenies to Kinzua Bridge State Park to see the tallest railroad bridge in the world.  The bridge stood at 301 feet when it was erected in 1882.  It was rebuilt with steel in 1900.  To tell you how dated my Reader’s Digest book is, the print suggests that I take a scenic ride along the viaduct. 

Due to rust and dangerous conditions; however, the bridge was closed in 2002 before a tornado demolished half of it in 2003.  Given the nearby worksite, it appears the bridge is might be being reconstructed?!?  The area was still very neat to see as we took a hike in the surrounding leafless forest of trees.

The Bullpen (Closed in 2019)

My final stop for the evening before taking a two hour drive to reach my next scenic tour starting location was at the Bullpen in Warren.  It was time for a local meal instead of Subway, McDonald’s, Walmart or other snacks.  I clicked “Points of Interest” and “Food” on my GPS, and of the five options appearing on the first screen I liked the name “The Bullpen” the best. 

I followed the directions for a mile that took me away from the main town and into a neighborhood.  Great, I thought, “the address listed for the restaurant is the owner’s home.” Not so! The pub, in a gray, wooden house was located smack dab in the middle of a neighborhood with houses on all sides.

I wouldn’t have even noticed it if it weren’t for the neon beer sign in the window.  It hardly looked open, but the locals certainly knew about it.  The bar offered a variety of food.  I ordered the wings and fried pickles, both delicious!  I sat at the bar, talked to Wendy and Joe, and mostly just soaked in the local atmosphere. 

Most of the patrons buy a mug for $5 which hangs from the wall or ceiling, and it is theirs to use each time they visit.  Joe has had his mug for 24 years!  It would have been fun to watch the baseball game at the Bullpen, but I was pretty far away from my final destination for the evening, so I paid the tab and wound around the dark back roads to my next Walmart. ETB

Map of My Road Trip Across the USA

For a summary about my road trip across the USA, click HERE. For the interactive map, see the below link.

Other Articles About Pennsylvania You May Like

• Day 43 – Across the Alleghenies
• Day 45 – Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands
• Day 46 – Pennsylvania Dutch Country
• Day 47 – Pennsylvania Dutch Country – Part 2
• Day 48 – Delaware’s and Pennsylvania’s Brandywine Valley

Shop

Check out the photographic note cards and key chains at my shop.  Each card has a travel story associated with it.  20% of proceeds are donated to charity.

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